Scan Magazine | Hotel Profile | Gamlebyen Hotell AS
Waking up inside Nordic history at Gamlebyen Hotell At the charming Gamlebyen Hotell, you can wake up right in the middle of the old town of Fredrikstad. The fortified town, which was founded almost 500 years ago during intense Scandinavian infighting, is today the region’s best preserved of its kind and still packed with culture and life – especially on the weekends. By Eirik Elvevold | Photos: Gamlebyen Hotell
During the Nordic Seven Years’ War, fought between 1563 and 1570, the Kingdom of Sweden clashed with a coalition consisting of Denmark and Norway, Lübeck and Poland. The brutal conflict sparked the creation of the city of Fredrikstad in 1567, named after the Danish king Frederik II, on the eastern banks of Norway’s largest river Glomma. In the centuries following the war, Fredrikstad grew to become Norway’s first renaissance city. Today, the old town, or ‘Gamlebyen’ as it is called in Norwegian, is the best-preserved fortified town in the Nordic region and among the most-visited tourist attractions in Norway. This year, Gamlebyen became even more famous nationally by playing the backdrop to the second season of the Norwegian reality show ANNO, where contestants travel back in time to compete against each other. 22 | Issue 95 | December 2016
“Right in the middle of it, you’ll find Gamlebyen Hotell. It’s a charming little hotel with 16 completely different rooms – ten double rooms, five single rooms and one apartment with a kitchen – which have all been recently refurbished in historic style,” says Gamlebyen Hotell’s daily manager, Marianne Hansen.
modern Fredrikstad, so you can go back and forth with ease,” Hansen explains. This combination makes Gamlebyen Hotell an ideal place for companies, wedding guests and other groups seeking an intimate stay that is one of a kind. “To wake up in the morning or finish a business meeting and stroll across the road, surrounded by almost half a millennium of history, to have breakfast at our trusted restaurant Majoren – it’s a very special atmosphere. It’s hard to explain. I think it must be experienced,” concludes Hansen.
The Norwegian hotel is located in the middle of a cultural hub. Gamlebyen offers proximity to cafés and restaurants, guided tours, a golf course, galleries, museums and shops. In December every year, a series of Christmas fairs will turn a visit into an unforgettable Norwegian holiday experience. “Everything is on your doorstep. On the weekends, the place is full of energy. On working days, however, it’s nice and calm. People like both. And the government offers free ferry transport to the
For more information, please visit: www.gamlebyenhotell.no